In this latest round of arrests, as many as ten LIRR workers are charged in connection with the massive fraud dating back to 1998 in which nearly every LIRR worker who claimed to be disabled upon early retirement received a disability pension, law enforcement sources said.

In explaining the fraud, prosecutors say LIRR employees who are eligible to retire at age 50 with an LIRR pension routinely sought to supplement their pension by fraudulently obtaining a separate Railroad Retirement Board disability annuity which when combined with their LIRR pension equaled or exceeded their pre-retirement income. The fraud was committed with the involvement of facilitators who served as liaisons between the workers and doctors participating in the scheme.

Amnesty Offered in LIRR Pension Scam

Long Island Rail Road workers who lied about disabilities to collect big pensions with taxpayer money may be getting a "get out of jail free" card: the feds are offering an amnesty deal to hundreds of LIRR retirees believed to have taken part in a massive disability scam. Jonathan Dienst reports.

(Published Tuesday, May 22, 2012)

The typical disabilities claimed were various musculoskeletal impairments.

Among the ten charged today, one retiree obtained a 4th degree black belt in jiu jitsu, another retiree became an active firefighter, and a third retiree became an ironworker, court documents say.